


Dawning Comprehension

by Anonymous



Category: Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:48:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26134477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Ahsoka Tano and Enfys Nest confront each other about their respective Crimson Dawn paramours.aka the Spiderman meme in fic form, except it’s Ahsoka and Enfys pointing at each other and the caption is “sleeping with someone in Crimson Dawn"
Relationships: Darth Maul/Ahsoka Tano, Enfys Nest/Qi'ra
Comments: 4
Kudos: 31
Collections: Anonymous





	Dawning Comprehension

**Author's Note:**

> -Takes place a few years after Solo but before Ahsoka shows up in Rebels  
> -If you are here because you’re solely interested in either of the ships I have tagged, you might be disappointed, because most of the fic is, like I said, a conversation between Ahsoka and Enfys, but they’re talking about their own personal (ill-advised) romances.  
> -That said, I debated for a while about whether I should tag this “Ahsoka Tano & Enfys Nest,” because I envisioned this taking place after the two have become friends/good comrades-in-arms. That tag doesn’t exist yet and I decided that I didn’t want this to be the first fic in that tag. If you have any thoughts on this, feel free to drop a comment and let me know.  
> -Despite the description, there’s nothing super spicy here, just some kissing and a fade-to-black.  
> -I haven’t written much fic in my life and have only ever posted one other story, so be warned.  
> -Enjoy, hopefully!

Enfys was already there when Ahsoka arrived at the rendezvous point.

This wasn’t unexpected. The planet, a forgettable and uninhabited moon covered with dense foliage, was closer to the Cloud Riders’ usual stomping grounds than Ahsoka’s “area” of the galaxy (if she could be said to have one). Enfys was typically early enough to watch Ahsoka land her ship and disembark a short distance away from the small clearing.

What was more unusual was that Enfys was alone. Normally she was accompanied by at least two others of her crew during her deliveries. Possibly some of her freedom fighters were waiting for their leader some distance away, but Ahsoka couldn’t sense anyone else nearby.

Though, really, Ahsoka couldn’t say she hadn’t expected this.

Enfys made no move to remove her mask as Ahsoka approached. Her staff was leaning against the tree next to her, and two metal boxes lay at her feet. When she was close enough to touch the boxes, Ahsoka asked, “May I?”

No response. The only movement came from the breeze ruffling the fur on Enfys’s cape.

Gingerly, she bent down and removed the lids of both containers to inspect their contents, the way she always did at these drop-offs. Inside was refined coaxium, just as promised.

“Thank you, Enfys,” Ahsoka said carefully. She replaced the covers, but before she could lift the handles, Enfys put her foot on top of one of the boxes.

Ahsoka looked up, in time to see the pirate take off her mask, her expression openly suspicious.

“We need to talk, Ahsoka,” she said grimly.

Briefly, Ahsoka reached out with the Force towards her fellow rebel, and sensed a mixture of distrust, disbelief, curiosity, and a small spark of anger.

“Enfys,” said Ahsoka, standing up slowly. “It wasn’t what it sounded like.”

“Really?” The head of the Cloud-Riders didn’t bother to conceal her skepticism. “Because to me, it sounded you, Fulcrum, a respected pillar of the Rebel Alliance, someone I have come to sincerely look up to, have some sort of… close relationship—” here her tone became tinged with disgust, “—with the true leader of Crimson Dawn, an evil and sadistic band of criminals and killers who have terrorized system after system in the galaxy.”

\---

_“I have more coaxium for you, Fulcrum.” Enfys’s mask was on, per the protocols governing holographic communication between rebellion members, but Ahsoka could tell that she was pleased._

_“Perfect. The usual place?”_

_“Of course.”_

_Careful not to disturb the hood that hid most of her face, Ahsoka pulled up a map of the galaxy and ran some calculations through her ship’s navigation system. “I can be there in two rotations. Try not to get into too much trouble before then.”_

_“Fulcrum, when have you ever known me to get into trouble?”_

_Especially with the mask’s voice modulator, it was often difficult for most people to tell when Enfys was joking, not least because she usually did not joke when wearing the mask. However, Ahsoka had learned that the curly-haired pirate, while often serious, also had a dry sense of humor she showed to those she trusted._

_“Of course, for a moment there I forgot you were such a dutiful, law-abiding citizen.”_

_Enfys snorted, just as Ahsoka heard familiar metallic thumping._

_“Are you coming back to bed or are you leaving me already, Lady Tano? I—oh.”_

_“Excuse me,” Ahsoka said to Enfys, then turned her head sideways to look at Maul out of the corner of her eye. He was already backing out of the cockpit, a mildly surprised look on his face. “I’ll come back in a minute,” she whispered._

_“Do take care not to test my patience.”_

_She smirked to herself but didn’t bother to respond, her attention already back on Enfys. Then, from the transmission, she heard another voice speaking quietly._

_“—was him.” A different person, female, but not Enfys. The grin slid off her face, and she leaned in more closely. The voice was familiar somehow…_

_“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you, what was that?” That was Enfys, looking behind her the way Ahsoka just had._

_“That was him. The one I serve.” Ahsoka’s eyes widened, realizing who was whispering urgently, just as woman said, “Crimson Dawn’s leader. Lord Maul.”_

_“Qi’ra? Is that you?” Ahsoka had met the public face of Crimson Dawn on occasion when she had brokered a handful of trade deals between the rebellion and the gang a few years ago, back when the Alliance was badly in need of supplies and willing to pay almost anyone for them. But these days the Alliance officially steered clear of the criminal organization, given the Cloud-Riders’ attacks on Crimson Dawn and their semi-loose affiliation with the rebellion._

_So what was Qi’ra doing with Enfys Nest?_

_“Who are you?” Qi’ra’s asked sharply as she moved onto the range of the hologram’s scanner. She looked disheveled, as if she had just woken up. “How do you know who I am?”_

_Quickly, Ahsoka weighed the odds, decided that revealing herself now would make things easier to explain. She pulled back her hood. “Why are you with Nest?”_

_Enfys’s gaze swung between the human woman beside her and the image of the Togruta in front of her. “Fulcrum, Qi’ra, you two know each other?”_

_“I…How…” Ahsoka began. Then she heard the sound of Maul’s legs clanking behind her again._

_“End the transmission, Enfys,” Qi’ra hissed, acute fear in her eyes. “Now.”_

_The hologram of the two women vanished._

\---

“Okay,” said Ahsoka slowly. “So maybe it’s exactly what it sounded like.”

The explosion hit. “Are you serious?” shouted Enfys, dropping her mask to the ground. “Him? Of all people? Do you know who he is? Do you know what he’s done? From what Qi’ra says, he’s a monster, and you didn’t strike her as someone who…someone who could possibly have been…” she shook her head and made a frustrated gesture, unable (or unwilling?) to complete the thought. “What lies has he told you? What have you told him? How much about the Rebel Alliance does he know?”

“Only that I’m a part of it!” Ahsoka said quickly. “He doesn’t actually care about the rebellion, and he doesn’t know anything about its inner workings. And I’m well aware of who he is. He…um…” she frowned, looking for the right words, while Enfys waited with an incredulous expression. “He and I…have more in common than you might think.” Internally, Ahsoka winced. It sounded weak, even to her.

The young woman’s face was almost comically bemused. Ahsoka guessed that she was trying to reconcile the Ahsoka she knew with one who had any similarities with Crimson Dawn’s leader. “Such as?”

Ahsoka sighed. “We are…probably two of the last people left in the galaxy who were taught about the ways of the Force. And even though our respective teachers were on opposite sides, we were both cast out by our orders. We’ve each had to find our own way since then. From that, the two of us, er…it took a while, but we’ve come to an understanding about each other.”

Enfys looked unconvinced. “Are you trying to recruit him to our side?”

\---

_“Lady Tano,” were Maul’s only words before kissing her, one hand cupping her face while he ran the other down her back lekku. Ahsoka returned the greeting enthusiastically. “Are you here to join Crimson Dawn?”_

_An old joke, one that Ahsoka was starting to tire of. He liked to substitute the names of different gangs into the question. The first time, he had asked, “Are you here to join me?” and Ahsoka had almost walked out entirely. Since then, he had not worded the question so directly._

_“Are you practicing a new comedy routine? You know I can’t leave the Rebellion,” she said, disentangling herself and heading towards his quarters in his Dathomirian home._

_“Can’t or won’t?” he countered, following her._

_“They need me.”_

_“And what do_ you _want?”_

_How many times would she have to repeat herself? Yes, she held a certain fondness for him (she could admit that much to herself), but her answer was not going to change. “I want to stay with the Alliance. Take down the Empire.” Ahsoka set her lightsabers down on the desk and turned around to look at him face to face. “I want to do what I can to help free the galaxy.”_

_“Yes, yes, very noble. Then why, if I may ask, are you here?” He was clearly amused, yellow eyes gleaming in anticipation._

_Ahsoka rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from twitching upwards. She kissed Maul again, walking him backwards, then pushed him down onto his bed and climbed on top of him._

_“I’m due for some shore leave.”_

\---

“No,” said Ahsoka quietly. “He has no interest in helping the Alliance. But he knows I’m not interested in joining him in any way. It’s not like we’re married, Enfys. It’s more of a…casual arrangement.” (And she was going to keep it that way, Force help her, no matter what more the former Sith might want, no matter what she might feel for him in return.)

Enfys’s revulsion was back. “So…you’re casually…together…with a vile, bloodthirsty murderer because he reminds you of your former life? But only casually?” Enfys still sounded deeply skeptical, and in this case Ahsoka couldn’t blame her. Most of the time, the former Jedi threw herself into whatever she did wholeheartedly and did nothing by halves.

But how she felt about Maul was a little more complicated, and there was no use disclosing any more about that. “None of us have clean hands in this war,” Ahsoka said, glancing away. “Not him, certainly, but not you or me either.”

“Don’t try to claim we’re all on the same level.” The Cloud Rider’s voice was cold. “He is the leader of Crimson Dawn. You and I are trying to save the galaxy from syndicates like his and the Empire. We are not the same.”

Ahsoka looked back at Enfys, the mention of the gang triggering her memory of their last call. “Yes, all right. But on that matter, Qi’ra is also part of that gang, and there certainly is plenty of blood on her hands too.”

At that, Enfys blinked, looking stricken. Then she took a deep breath, squared her gaze, and asked flatly, “Does Maul know about Qi’ra and me?”

Frowning, Ahsoka said, “What do you mean? That you two were on the same call? No, of course not. I wanted to talk to you about that first. _I_ didn’t say anything at all about him to you,” she added, remembering that Enfys had repeated Qi’ra’s words back to her earlier.

Enfys flinched, and Ahsoka sensed a spike of guilt lace through her, but the woman recovered instantly and said, “You’re sure?”

“Of course. He didn’t realize she was on the call—and I know he would have said something to me if he had known—and I certainly didn’t reveal anything to him. Qi’ra will be fine.”

Enfys held Ahsoka’s gaze, but after another moment she closed her eyes and exhaled in relief. Her shoulders slumped, and she almost swayed on her feet.

Mystified, Ahsoka asked, “Why are you so worried for her? I thought you hated Crimson Dawn.”

Enfys opened her eyes but didn’t look up. “I do.” Her face was pinched yet guarded.

Qi’ra trusted Enfys enough to tell her what she really thought of Maul, what she remembered of Ahsoka. Even enough to sleep near her. Narrowing her eyes slightly, Ahsoka reached out again through the Force. What was Enfys not telling her?

Oh.

\---

_Enfys looked at Qi’ra lying beside her, eyes shut and basking in the feeling of Enfys’s fingers running through her hair, and thought her heart might burst. “Why do you walk this tightrope when you could just come with me? Come with us.”_

_Qi’ra sighed. “You wouldn’t understand.”_

_“Try me. You’ve killed one leader of Crimson Dawn before. What’s so different about this one?”_

_“This one is…I can’t kill him. He’s too powerful. And if I ran, he would find me wherever I went. I’m safer where I am._ You’re _safer where I am. The way things are now, I’m technically still following his orders, he won’t take any notice of what I’ve done, and you even get some assistance from us. It’s fewer deaths all around.”_

_“Qi’ra, look at me.” After a moment, she complied, blue eyes meeting brown._

_“What do_ you _want?”_

_“Well, this is the only way for me to stay alive, still see you, and help you.”_

_“Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself. But you must see that this can’t go on forever.”_

_Qi’ra gave a short laugh. “How ominous. And I suppose you’ll be there when it all goes up in flames.”_

_“You know you can always count on me,” said Enfys, grinning._

_“Is that a threat or a promise?”_

_The leader of the Cloud-Riders leaned down, red curls falling and creating a curtain between her and the figurehead leader of Crimson Dawn. “Up to you.” She kissed Qi’ra firmly, just to keep her guessing._

\---

For the first time since meeting Enfys, Ahsoka was at a complete loss for words. Should she accuse her of hypocrisy and risk another shouting match? Warn her of the dangers of this clandestine relationship, of which Enfys was almost certainly already aware? Glibly suggest a double date?? Unable to decide, Ahsoka said cautiously, “Enfys…”

But the pirate cut her off. “It’s different. She’s different. I hated her at first, but she’s not like them.”

“She’s exactly like them, that’s what being part of Crimson Dawn means!” Ahsoka exclaimed. “You don’t make it that far up the ladder without proving yourself in the only way Crimson Dawn respects. Have you provided her any Alliance intel?”

“Qi’ra is helping the rebellion,” said Enfys emphatically.

Ahsoka paused. Enfys sounded very sure. “She’s a spy?”

“Errrrr…Maul, is it? He told her to ‘take care of the Cloud-Riders.’ First, she tried Dryden Vos’s method. Attempted extermination. Didn’t work, and it wasn’t her thing. Instead she’s been helping us out here and there in exchange for us keeping out of Crimson Dawn’s way, more so than usual. I haven’t given away any top-secret rebellion information, obviously.”

“And that’s how you managed to keep seeing her? Through all these backdoor deals?”

“Something like that.” Enfys’s lips twitched.

Ahsoka nodded slowly. “Alright. That’s…quite brave of her.”

“Yes,” said Enfys. Then her gaze sharpened. “You could help her! Get her out of the danger she’s in!”

“Qi’ra has never struck me as a damsel in distress.” The elegant woman had always seemed very self-assured and capable, at least to Ahsoka’s eyes.

“We should free her,” said Enfys stubbornly. “Aren’t we freedom fighters? I know she lives in fear of Maul.”

“Is that why you’re with her? Because you believe you can save her? Has she asked to be rescued?”

When Enfys didn’t answer, Ahsoka shook her head, her lekkus swaying with the motion. “You can’t save people who aren’t ready or willing to be saved. You’re banking on a future you don’t know will happen.”

“The way you’re overlooking what Maul has done so you can cling to the ghosts of your past?”

Ahsoka flushed. “Enfys…” she began, a note of warning in her voice.

“Don’t lecture me, Ahsoka,” snapped Enfys. “Will you help her or not?”

“What do you want me to do?” She crossed her arms. “Kill him?”

“I think the galaxy would be better off if you did. You’re probably the person, out of everyone else in the whole universe, who has the best chance of succeeding. Anyway, you’re the one who said it was casual.”

An expertly set and sprung trap. Either Ahsoka could claim that the former Sith meant nothing to her and therefore she would have no excuse not to kill him, or she could admit that she genuinely cared for him and did not want him to die by her hand.

Ahsoka’s gaze shifted downwards, toward the coaxium at her feet, but her mind was elsewhere. She imagined seeing Maul again, waiting until he was vulnerable, then pulling her sabers on him, watching the light leave his eyes.

For a moment, she felt her breath falter.

No. She couldn’t, wouldn’t, kill him now. Not like that.

In that moment, Ahsoka couldn’t help but recall the Jedi’s teachings about attachments. This must have been the sort of thing they had warned her about.

Was it a blessing or a curse, then, that she was no longer a Jedi?

“You won’t do it.” Enfys said tightly, her voice breaking through Ahsoka’s musings.

What could she say? It was the truth.

But Enfys’s own hard expression wavered. Ahsoka sensed her mood softening slightly, and surmised that the Cloud-Rider was remembering her own romantic entanglements with a Crimson Dawn leader.

“Certainly not now, when Qi’ra hasn’t even consented to it. You can’t liberate people like coaxium, you know.”

At that, Enfys almost smiled, Ahsoka was sure of it, before the woman insisted, “But if she knew you’d kill him, maybe she’d be willing to leave!”

“I won’t kill him.” There, she said it. “I might be willing to assist with removing him from his seat of power, though that would take a substantial amount of time and energy which I could be spending on other Alliance efforts.” (Of course, Maul would never forgive her, but she would deal with that later, if she had to.) “You can tell Qi’ra I said so. But I’m not sure that would convince her to leave Crimson Dawn. And who knows? If I helped depose Maul, who is to say Qi’ra wouldn’t simply fill that power vacuum and rule the way he does, or even worse?”

“No,” Enfys protested. “She isn’t like that. Qi’ra has risked her life to aid the rebellion!”

“I know,” Ahsoka said gently. “I just want you to be prepared if your rescue mission ends up not going as planned.”

“Are you sure you’re not looking for an excuse to get out of helping her?”

More than slightly insulted, Ahsoka responded frostily, “My offer still stands.”

Enfys was quiet then, her brooding gaze stretching into the forest. Was she reviewing all her recent conversations with Qi’ra? Probably, but Ahsoka didn’t want to pry.

The seconds passed. Finally, the Cloud-Rider sighed. “Fine. I’ll let Qi’ra know what you’ve proposed. But just know this, Ahsoka.” Her voice hardened again. “If it comes to pass that Qi’ra is ready to leave, and your…your boyfriend—” (Ahsoka shuddered, but Enfys ignored her) “—if he gets in the way, I won’t hesitate. Even if you’re there.” The Cloud-Rider picked up her mask and her staff and spun around to leave.

“Wait,” called Ahsoka. There was one more thing she had to make sure of. “Are you going to tell anyone else about me and Maul?”

Enfys snorted. “Who would believe me?” But after a moment, she said, “I think you’re making an outlandishly stupid mistake, but as long as you’re not betraying the Rebel Alliance or putting it in danger, I won’t say a word if you won’t. Goodbye, Fulcrum.”

She marched away, leaving Ahsoka to bring the coaxium back to her ship on her own.


End file.
